A marina is typically a dock or basin that provides secure moorings for pleasure boats such as powerboats and frequently offers ground facilities such as parking lots. Where demand for moorings is particularly high, boats such as powerboats are stored on land, but space is frequently at a premium particularly at popular marinas located on prime water front properties. When space is at a premium it is difficult to provide adequately sized parking lots to meet the parking needs of boat owners. Thus, there is a need for meeting the needs and expectations of both marine owners and boat users.
Of particular interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,357, issued to Studler, which describes a space-saving boat and automobile parking system for marinas uniquely utilizing a pallet for sequential storage of either a boat or an automobile whereby land and space requirements for vehicular parking are significantly diminished. In operation, a boat owner telephones his/her marina a predetermined time before his/her scheduled arrival for boat use. The marina operator then takes a lift truck to the owner's assigned “pigeon coop” storage space, inserts the fork tines into a boat-supporting pallet according to the invention, lifts the pallet up from its supports and moves the pallet to a launching area, lowers the pallet into the water until the boat floats, and then removes the pallet. The pallet is then taken to an automobile loading station, the owner's automobile is driven onto the pallet, secured as desired, and the lift truck then takes the auto and pallet to the assigned nest position and deposits the pallet with the automobile thereat.
Furthermore, the patent application publication US 20020039526 A1 to Jokinen shows a garage that has increased parking capacity for vehicles. A parking level has water filling the parking structure so that boats or floating platforms may fill the parking level. The only passageway needed is that which will accommodate the boats or platforms. Vehicles entering the garage are driven onto an endless belt and this belt drives the vehicle onto a platform having another endless belt. When exiting the vehicle's belt drives it off the platform to an exit area. Multiple levels accommodate even larger capacity garages. A computer can control entry, exit, and movement of the platforms to random locations and/or to elevators in multiple level garages.
In addition, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,942, issued to Dane, Jr., describes a dry sail marina for storing small to moderately sized boats out of the water with means for transferring them automatically between storage points and the water. The marina is contained within a building having a center aisle extending the length thereof and a series of vertically stacked racks bounding each side of the aisle. Boats are stored in sling by boat cars housed in the racks. An overhead traveling crane with a hoist suspended track assembly rides along the center aisle between any storage point and the waterside of the marina. The track assembly is adapted to connect with any rack and includes transport means for coupling to individual cars and wheeling them onto and off of the track assembly. To deliver a boat, the track assembly is connected up with the assigned rack and the transport means draws the car with boat in sling onto the track assembly. The loaded track assembly is then transported to the water by the overhead crane whereupon it is lowered and the boat is deposited in the water and released from its car. The crane then returns the boat car to the rack by a reverse procedure.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.